Author's Note: Hi all! So sorry for the long time between updates...still battleing through allergies and sinus infections. Hopefully they'll go away soon and I'll be back on a regular update pattern. Thank you all so very much for your reviews, private messages and concern and support. It is so greatly appreciated! Many many thanks to you all!

The Road Home

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Troublesome Prophecy

He never spent much time thinking of what he wanted. Survival was always foremost on his mind. Living through his father's drunken rages, his mother's passiveness and the Slytherin mindset. These last few months with Lily had given him time to stop, think and perhaps for the first time in his life, dream. No longer was every waking moment a desperate clawing out of the hole life had thrown him in, but rather an almost relaxing routine that was punctuated by times like this one: deadly chaos and fear.

Curses flew over his head, by his ear and even singed the hem of his robe. He should have been implementing the protego charm but his eyes were focused on the red head in front of him, his mind on automatic as it assessed the battle. By the time they had reached the Longbottom stronghold, a small cottage on the jagged coast line of Whales, the small home was already under siege. Lily had wasted no time and rushed headlong into the melee with Black at her heels, leaving Severus and Lupin desperately trying to keep up and work on a strategy.

Given how spread out the Death Eaters were stationed, and the glaring lack of planning, he would have to guess that Lucius was now using his own strategies. The Dark Lord wouldn't put up with that for too long. Lucius had bearing, wealth and charisma but he lacked the analytical mind that was needed for battle. Thankfully, Severus excelled at preparation. They were confused at the arrival of Dumbledore's back up fighters, a very foolish and startling oversight. That usually meant the Dark Lord himself was present and this was suppose to be a fast strike and no more. But where was the Dark Lord?

An irate yell broke through the sound of the battle and Severus felt his blood run cold. He instinctually grabbed Lily and shoved her behind him. Black and Lupin closed ranks, keeping her out of sight just as Voldemort exited the cottage and cursed the nearest Death Eater. The mask had fallen off and it was Lucius himself curled up on the ground.

"They're gone!" Voldemort bellowed. "The damn Floo Network! A first year would have known to block was the fireplace!"

Severus heard Lily sigh in relief. Black and Lupin decided to take advantage of Voldemort's anger and started to back away from the scene. Severus couldn't. He was strangely transfixed to the unfolding scene before him. Surely this wouldn't end the way other similar situations had in the past? This was Lucius Bloody Malfoy, one of the most purest of the pureblood families that were left. Dumbledore's numbers slowly retreated, assured at the safety of their own, they began dissapperating or taking a port key back to wherever they came from.

Severus felt himself dropped into a crossroad. Lucius was no longer his ally, a man with whom he had aligned himself with for many years. Lucius had made his choice of sides in this war and made it unmistakable which side that was. However, the reason the war was going on once again came into play in Severus' mind: a child. Though he had only seen Draco once or twice, it still didn't take away the fact that the child existed. And Narcissa as well. What was to become of her, one of the only Slytherin's that had showed him a kindness?

Someone tugged at his sleeve and shook them off. He needed to act. Just as he stepped forward and raised his wand, the same person who was tugging on him grabbed a hold of his wand arm. He tried to shake it off but was surprised at the strength in Lupin's grip.

"Let go of me!"

Lupin fixed him with a steady gaze. "You interfere, you risk bringing attention to us. And 'us' means Lily too."

That caused him pause. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Lily and Black grab on of the few portkeys that would take them back to Hogwarts. "He has a son, too."

Sympathy showed on the werewolf's face. "But Malfoy knew the risks when he pledged allegiance to the Dark Lord. The Longbottoms are safe. We need to return to Hogwarts."

Severus tried once more to shake the werewolf off him but Lupin wouldn't budge. Slowly he lowered his wand and walked back to the portkey with Lupin in an uneasy silence. By the time the time they reached the old shoe, all the others had left already. Severus stared down at the worn shoe. "Draco."

"What?" Lupin asked.

"Lucius' son. His name is Draco. He's the same age as Harry, give or take a few months." Severus looked once more down to the cottage, hoping against hope that Lucius had groveled his way out the mess. The flash of green light that assaulted his eyes told him otherwise and another son was left fatherless.

Lily mentally scolded herself as she hurried through the quiet halls of Hogwarts. She had been so happy to see Alice again and watching Neville and Harry play together. Neither boy had seen someone their own age for months, and the delight at feeling normal again overshadowed any other thought she had at the moment. She hadn't sought out Severus after he and Remus returned from the Longbottom's safe house. She had known they came back completely safe and unharmed but then Remus came to her with concerns. Something had happened after she and Sirius had come back to the school but Remus had remained tight lipped about what it was.

So here she was, walking through deserted hallways, not having any idea where in the world Severus could be. If he was in the Slytherin common room then she had no hope of seeing him this night. Her other choices would be the Astronomy Tower or out by the lake. Not wanting to face her fear of heights unless she absolutely had to, Lily opted to check out by the lake first. As she passed the door to the Great Hall, the light of a single lit candle drew her eye into the room.

Severus was sitting at Slytherin table, where he had sat for seven years, with a guttering candle in front of him. The jumping light enhanced the lines and shadows on his face and she was struck with just how old he looked. No, not old, she realized as she got closer, he looked worn out and ready to give up.

"Sev?"

He didn't move or acknowledge her at all but she knew him well enough to know that she couldn't sneak up on him if she tried. So she just quietly sat down next to him and waited for him to say something. She didn't have to wait for long.

"Alice alright?"

"Yes, Frank and Neville too." Lily paused, watching his facial expression closely. "What happened, Sev?" Unfortunately, she couldn't see his expression as he covered his face with his hands, the candlelight casting eerie shadows on the pale skin and making his fingers appear longer than what they were.

"I wasn't prepared for this."

"For what?"

He dropped his hands back down to the table but his long black hair fell like a curtain between them. "I thought the lines between good and evil would be more clear. I thought once I switched sides that I would not feel sympathetic for…"

"Your friends?"

"It feels wrong to think of them that way but for the longest time they were the only friends that I had."

Lily laid a hand on his arm and tried to ignore the intake of breath. "I'm sorry about that, Sev."

"No, I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't but," she took a deep breath, "if I had realized what I was sending you off to I would have handled the situation completely differently. It seems that my mistake has caused you nothing but grief." She thought about telling him about the suffering she went through, the sleepless nights and tears she had shed over the loss of her friend. The worst night had been when she found out she was pregnant and didn't have her best friend to share in the happiness. But he didn't need any more burdens to bear, not now or ever. "What happened tonight?"

"Lucius Malfoy was killed."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded his bowed head. "I sent an owl to Narcissa. She confirmed it."

Lily felt a pang of sympathy. She knew of Draco. The birth of the Malfoy heir had been a week long headliner of the Prophet. "So what exactly is bothering you, Sev? Lucius being killed or Narcissa and their son's wellbeing?"

Severus sighed wearily. "I don't know. And I think that bothers me the most."

Lily didn't allow herself to think, just act. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he willingly fell against her in an exhausted slump. "These were people that you knew, Sev. It's perfectly natural to be feeling this way."

"There are too many victims, Lily. I didn't know there would be so many."

"That's war," Lily said, resting her head against Severus'.

Dumbledore had always thought himself to be able to bear up under the burden of leadership. He believed he encouraged those around him in the strengths that they exhibited and cultivated them to be their best. At least he tried. Tom Riddle would always be his most glaring mistake in that aspect. But he couldn't allow past mistakes to tarnish the responsibility he now had.

There was a school full of children that needed to be protected, allowed to grow, mature and enter the wizarding community to use their gifts for good. He had the Order of the Phoenix, brave men and women who were fighting on his behalf against the evil that he himself had created. No, he shook his head. He didn't create Lord Voldemort, Tom Riddle had done that, but it didn't settle his mind that he had somehow played a part in the rising of one of the most evil wizards of their time.

He knew what needed to be done, even though he was pulling the memory from his mind and dropped it into the pensieve once more. Maybe if he looked again, concentrated harder, he would be able to find an alternative to his plan. Taking a deep breath and sending up a prayer of hope, he let himself fall through the pensieve and land once more in the dingy, rickety room in the Hog's Head. There was the younger version of himself, seated across from the shawl wrapped figure of Sybil Trelawney. He was surprised at noticing for the first time the look of complete disinterest on his face. But the disinterest was quickly fading into a mix of shock and curiosity. He concentrated on the words that were coming from Trelawney, waiting to hear some loop hole in the prophecy.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…"

That would definitely include Harry and Neville. He had watched the announcements in the Prophet very carefully to read the birth announcements. It could only be Harry or Neville.

"And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…"

And that was the part that caused him trouble. Neither child had been marked yet. At least he didn't know of any marking that had been done. Perhaps Voldemort going after the Potter's first was the sign of the mark. But there should have been a physical sign of the child being chosen as the equal. His dilemma remained unchanged but he listened to the rest of the prophecy anyway.

"And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

He blinked and found himself back in his office, staring in the swirling silver memory of that night. Marked as his equal…which child would Voldemort choose? Harry was half-blood, just as Tom Riddle had been. Neville, however, was a full blood. Would Neville be chosen to cover Riddle's half blood heritage?

Dumbledore slumped into his chair. One of the children must be shoved to the forefront of this war. Voldemort was set on the death of the parents and children themselves which meant the only way one of the children would survive their meeting with the Dark Lord was if one of their parent's sacrificed themselves for the child. Both Lily and Alice possessed that kind of love and bravery. But which child would be most suited for the weight of the prophecy? A decision had to made and it was up to him to make it: which mother would have to be sacrificed in order to bring about the prophecy?